A Malaysian who gunned down a renowned Sydney heart surgeon in a failed extortion attempt in Sydney in 1991, must remain in prison, pending outcome of a review into a decision to grant him parole.

Liew Chiew Seng, 69, who killed Dr Victor Chang in the incident, was last week granted parole by the State Parole Authority.

He was due to be freed from jail after Oct 3 and deported.

However, New South Wales (NSW) attorney-general Greg Smith has requested a review of the decision, which was briefly heard before Justice Peter McClellan in Sydney today, the Australian Associated Press reported.

The court was told Liew would remain in prison until after the judge’s decision on the matter, set for Oct 9.

Paul Menzies, representing the attorney-general, said the application to the NSW Supreme Court was based on the fact that information put before the parole board relating to Liew’s health was false or misleading.

The parole hearing was told that Liew suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was in the early stages of dementia.

“The issue is, what's the prognosis and also the degree of his disability at the moment,” said Menzies.

“The State Parole Authority relied on a report that said... he was suffering from cognitive impairment. We seek to put that on issue.”

Menzies also said the parole board had failed to give reasons for its decision and did not take into account the fact that Liew would be deported upon release.

Liew was sentenced to a maximum of 26 years in prison for firing two shots, one of which killed 54-year-old Dr Chang, during a failed extortion attempt on July 4, 1991, at Mosman in Sydney’s lower north shore.

He has served 21 years of his sentence and became eligible for parole last year.

Liew was scheduled to be deported to Malaysia soon after release but the NSW government said it had concerns over his supervision there.

Once McClellan makes his decision, Liew must remain in prison for a further 28 days to allow time for any appeal to be lodged.

- Bernama